


A Second Chance

by Sellie



Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-07-29 15:57:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7690714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sellie/pseuds/Sellie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven months after their separation, Chloe receives a visit from her estranged husband late one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Second Chance

It was one in the morning before Chloe Sullivan was completely satisfied that she'd hit the right angle with her latest news article, and the effects of sleep deprivation, however minimal, were quick to take advantage of her slight frame, sending her mind spiralling with thoughts of that big, warm, comfy bed just waiting for her down the hall. Stifling a yawn, she gave the article a final once over, saved the document to a thumb drive so she could take it in to work for formatting tomorrow, then clicked the shut down button on her computer. 

Stretching her arms over her head whilst her laptop went through the motions of putting itself to bed, she closed her eyes and gave a little moan of pleasure as the ache in her back muscles eased slightly, finally dropping her hands back into her lap with a soft sigh, her eyes slow to open again. While Chloe loved her work, she was looking forward to the two weeks leave owed her, and she was planning to make the most of them once the clock ticked five o'clock this Friday coming. 

A high profile investigative reporter for the Daily Planet these days, she faced certain expectations, not just from her boss and colleagues, but the public also, and that meant long hours and punishing deadlines at times and her work often found its way home with her. Not that Chloe entirely minded. To this day, she still got a kick out of seeing her work published and given the respect and credibility it deserved, especially when it was headlining on the front page of one of the most prominent and respected newspapers in Metropolis. The Daily Planet. 

Chloe tilted her head to the side, watching the computer screen absently until the soft hum of energy died out completely, leaving the muted sounds of The David Letterman Show airing on the T.V. behind her to fill the new silence. Smiling softly, her eyes drifted to the window and the dark of night on the other side as she found herself remembering her first day on the job. 

Back then, her 'office', and she used the term extremely lightly, had been a virtual shoe box. A miniscule cubicle barely wide enough to house her computer; it was connected to a block of five other desks she had shared along with her best friend Clark Kent, her cousin Lois Lane and three other reporters. The head high partitions erected for privacy when on the phone etc. were virtually ineffective and the noise level at times made it almost impossible to think, but as crazy as it sounded to some, Chloe had loved every minute of it. 

The constant buzz of activity, phones ringing off the hook with new story leads, the frantic click of computer keys as someone raced to meet a deadline; it was all music to her ears. And she quite literally hadn't been able to wipe the grin off of her face the entire day. The Daily Planet had been her dream, and the surreal feeling that made her stomach flutter with pride and nervous excitement every time she walked through the doors of the building with the impressive slowly revolving globe sitting atop it never seemed to wear off. 

A nostalgic smile at the memory still curving her lips, Chloe moved from her computer chair to the window, pulling an overstuffed cushion into her lap as she tucked her feet up under her on the window seat and finished her cooling cup of cocoa. She had her own office now, and while she loved the privacy and the obvious status symbol that came with it, she still found herself leaving the door open on some days, just so she could hear the familiar sounds she'd grown so used to those first couple of years. It was comforting to her in some strange way. And Clark poked his head in often enough each day that it seemed pointless to close it anyway. 

They still worked on stories together sometimes, reminiscent of their days at The Torch, Smallville High's newspaper. Either when Perry assigned them the same project or when Clark was just being plain stubborn. He refused to let her investigate leads with 'danger potential' alone and on more than one occasion she'd ended up wasting more time arguing with him over the fact that she could take care of herself than on the actual story. She’d learned to give up pretty quick and let him 'tag along'. 

While her own stubborn streak refused to admit it at first, his help usually proved beneficial, he'd gotten her out of more sticky situations than she had fingers and toes, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she loved that he worried about her so much, cared enough to want to keep her safe. Ever since they'd left Smallville, Chloe had gotten her old friend back somewhere along the way, a lover at one stage too, and if keeping that meant having the big oaf tag along when she was on a hot lead, then so be it. She was a self-sacrificing gal after all. 

Grinning at the thought, Chloe rested her elbow against the sill, cupped her chin in her hand and gazed up at the night sky, currently pelting rain down on Metropolis like there was no tomorrow. By the time her gaze ventured downwards to the empty and murky streets below, the street lights barely penetrating the sheeted rain, the limousine that had just pulled up in front of her apartment building had already deposited it's passengers on the sidewalk before moving off to find a place to park. Unaware, Chloe tipped her face back up to the sky. 

While she was completely happy with her work now, things hadn't always been so pleasant. Despite what certain others liked to think, Chloe knew it was only ever through her own hard work and complete devotion to journalism that she'd landed where she was today, and she had no intention of ever becoming lax about it. She couldn't afford to, and if there were ever a time when that statement were more true it was when she'd married into the Luthor family. 

Gossip had been rife amongst jealous colleagues from rival papers as well as the press in regards to the success of her rise in the journalistic pecking order following her nuptials to Lionel Luthor. Call it bad timing. Whatever it was, Chloe had known all along what she would be facing when she'd married into the Luthor family. She also knew her work spoke for itself though, her success didn't come courtesy of the Luthor name, and the people that mattered were well aware of that fact. The rest could go to hell for all she cared. If she'd learned anything from her marriage to Lionel it was how to grow a thick skin. 

If anything the comments and articles against her made her work harder to prove them wrong and when she didn't fall flat on her face like they'd all anticipated, damn near salivated over, and when she held her own against the best of them the press turned tail, the negativity suddenly died down and she was being drawn in a new 'intelligent' light once they'd realized she wasn't like all the other bimbos that usually accompanied Lionel to his business functions in the past. The shock on their faces over the fact that she could actually string a sentence together when Lionel allowed her to be interviewed regarding their relationship in the early days of their marriage was proof enough that their assumptions had been false. 

She'd even been offered an 'on location' news reporting job with one of the main T.V. stations recently, which she'd yet to accept or turn down. While she was extremely flattered, she wasn't sure that that was what she wanted, and apart from the fact that she'd been assured she would get to do her own research and scripting in regards to how the story went to air, the finer details were as yet unknown to her. It was a wonderful opportunity, she wouldn't deny that, but she didn't want it to eat into her time at the Planet or more importantly with Lisa and she wanted to get Lionel's opinion on the matter before she made any final decisions. 

And not because she needed his approval. They'd been separated for seven months and she'd do it if she wanted to regardless of whether or not he was for or against it, Lionel knew that as well as she did, Chloe just knew that he would prefer to be consulted first and she valued his opinion on these types of matters in any case. Reporting she could do, negotiating contracts and business deals, she preferred to leave to Lionel. And she would need his advice if she decided to go ahead with it. 

Finishing off the last of her cocoa, Chloe tossed the cushion back onto the window seat, pulled the curtains closed then padded barefoot into the kitchen where she soaked her mug in hot water in the sink. Just as she turned off the faucet, a soft knock sounded at the door. Frowning at the time of the visit, she crossed the living room quietly, then standing on the tips of her toes she squinted through the peephole, her breath involuntarily catching at the sight of the man on the other side. Lionel. Turning, she pressed her shoulders back against the door, closing her eyes briefly as her mind raced with reasons as to why he was at her front door at such an hour. Unannounced visits weren't anything new from Lionel, but they never came at one in the morning. 

Opening her eyes, she bit her lip and cast a quick glance downwards at her appearance with critical eyes. A threadbare powder blue singlet top clung to her upper body, finished off with a pair of black cotton panties. Her face was scrubbed clean of any makeup and her hair, which was now grown out past her shoulder blades was loose and probably a mess. Making a sound of distress, Chloe did her best to straighten it, carding her fingers through her hair and pulling at her tank top, which had a tendency to ride up her stomach. Another impatient knock told her she'd hesitated too long and taking a deep breath, she schooled her features into what she hoped was an outwardly calm look and unlocked the door. Opening it only part way Chloe kept her lower body hidden due to the two burly bodyguards flanking Lionel's sides.

"Lionel," Chloe said, infusing her voice with just the right amount of cool detachment. "What are you doing here?" Lionel gave a slight smirk at her position behind the door, no doubt aware of her state of undress at this time in the morning but Chloe refrained from commenting. 

He had the decency to straighten his lips before answering. "I needed to see you. May I come in?"

Nodding almost imperceptibly, Chloe opened the door to allow him entry. She could smell the cold night air on his clothes as he strolled passed her, mingling deliciously with his cologne and she was fighting the urge not to take another whiff. She closed the door and leaned back against it as he moved further into her living room. Stopping at the couch he turned to face her, their eyes locking across the room as he removed the black overcoat he was wearing along with the suit jacket underneath before tossing the discarded items of clothing over the back of the couch. 

Chloe pushed away from the door and walked further into the room to meet him half way when he slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants and began moving towards her again. He looked tired, she mused worriedly, her eyes searching his face. Pale and tired, yet still as sinfully attractive as ever, she thought with a helpless little sigh. Reaching up unconsciously when he was stood close enough in front of her she cupped his cheek in her palm, beard tickling her skin, unable to hide the concern evident in her voice. "Is everything okay?"

Lionel simply grunted in response, turning his mouth into her palm briefly, his eyes focused on the hole he was fingering absently in the material of her top, just below her breast, a slight frown between his brows. "You have draws full of lingerie, yet you choose to wear this."

Frowning, Chloe dropped her hand and pushed his probing finger away. "You didn't come here to critique my sleepwear, Lionel," she said dryly.

Lionel's eyes were dark and penetrating for a moment, but then his lids dropped and he lowered his head, a strangely passive gesture she'd never seen on him before. "No, I didn't," he admitted, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Do you have anything to drink?"

Chloe sighed at his obvious avoidance, but nodded, ignoring the way his lips quirked in amusement at her irritation. "Scotch?" Not a big drinker herself, Chloe only kept it in the house for his visits.

"Please." Lionel followed her into the kitchen and leaned his back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest after he'd loosened his tie, as the small blonde set about fixing his drink. 

Chloe could feel his eyes on her as she moved about the kitchen, retrieving a tumbler from the overhead cupboard. Controlling the urge to fill the silence with useless words, knowing it would amuse Lionel to no end to know that he was making her uncomfortable, she willed her flushed skin back to its normal colour and self-consciously tugged at her top. When she turned around, she wasn't surprised at the way his eyes had to flick up to her face from 'elsewhere' to meet her gaze, or at the presence of that familiar smug smirk currently curving his lips. She arched an annoyed eyebrow. "Did you enjoy the view?"

Lionel's eyes danced with amusement and open lust and he bowed his head slightly as he spoke. "Very much so, thank you." 

Chloe rolled her eyes, handing him the glass and ignoring his chuckle as he sipped at the amber liquid. At times, his sole purpose in her life seemed designed to piss her off, she thought. "I should go put something on." Before she'd even taken a step Lionel had grabbed her upper arm in a firm embrace as she moved to brush past him on her way out of the room, startling her into looking up at him with confusion in her eyes. 

"That's not necessary, Chloe," he said firmly, in answer to the question in her eyes. “This is your home, you should be comfortable.” She could feel his thumb stroking her skin softly, see the familiar commanding heat in his gaze, and a shiver ran through her even as she willed it not to and Lionel added, "I have seen you in less, after all." His lips quirked in amusement once again and Chloe couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing slightly in suspicion. Suspicion because she'd quickly come to learn that hidden meanings abounded behind almost everything that came out of his mouth, be the intention good or bad. 

Granted, he knew her body more intimately than anyone else ever had or probably would. Even after their separation, Chloe had somehow ended up in bed with him. Lionel could be a very persuasive man with little to no effort and the self-made trap her love for him created didn't help. She'd let his needs and emotions dictate the direction of her life even when they weren't together in the official sense any longer, and it was an unhealthy existence she'd fought hard to control. Somehow she'd found the strength to put a stop to it for obvious reasons, her own sanity being one of them, and they weren't about to change. Not without good reason. "And is that why you're here?" She asked. "To see me in less, Lionel?"

Lionel laughed, obviously amused by his young wife's blatant suspicion. "You seem so convinced I have some sort of ulterior motive for being here other than to simply see you, Chloe," he said, releasing her arm. "Have I managed to make you that distrustful of me?"

Chloe sighed, her eyes not sharing in his mirth as a slightly pained frown creased her delicate brow and she lowered her eyes. Her voice was soft when she replied. "I honestly don't know anymore, Lionel." She looked up into his eyes, searching, as if trying to read the truth there, surprised when Lionel took her hand in his and pressed his lips to her fingers. 

"I'm sorry," he said softly, the smile gone from his face now, and Chloe was startled to find it actually sounded genuine. He held her gaze a moment longer, before her eyes slid down to where he was skimming her fingers across his warm lips tenderly, the gesture made all the sweeter because she could feel none of the usual sexual intent she had come to expect from his caresses, just affection, and Chloe found herself in no hurry to pull them away. "However," Lionel began silkily, a desirous glimmer entering his eyes at the way the young woman's moistened lips had parted, "seeing you naked is never far from my mind." 

His words didn't penetrate straight away, but when they did Chloe's eyelids fluttered feverishly at first, as if she were waking from a daze, and she shook her head as much for her own benefit as for Lionel's. This is exactly why I can't afford to have him here, she thought nervously. She was tired, and it was too early in the morning for her to be thinking straight. She honestly didn't know if she'd have the strength to resist him tonight. Most times, she didn't want to, and that's what made it harder. 

Refusing to play his game, Chloe disentangled her hand from his and crossed her arms over her stomach, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than ever, a fact that was only compounded by her lack of clothing. The way his eyes followed her movements didn't help. "Look," she said, rubbing her forehead, "it's late and I have work tomorrow so if you're not going to tell me what this is about-"

"Still so impatient." Lionel interrupted in mock admonishment, drawing an indignant look from her that quickly changed to surprise at his next statement. "It's good to see some things haven't changed." An impious smile touched his lips but before Chloe could respond Lionel deliberately turned and headed for the living room, leaving the blonde, who was somewhere between feeling baffled and wanting to stamp her foot in frustration, with no other choice but to follow. 

A helpless sight passed Chloe's lips as she watched his retreating back, past experience telling her that he wasn't going to leave before he was good and ready to, and she hated the position that left her in. There were reasons as to why they were still merely separated, even after seven months, and not divorced, and every time Chloe shared a room with the man every single one of those reasons hit her in the face and she had to bite her lip to keep from telling him just how much she thought about him in the time they'd been apart. Lionel's behaviour, while no more annoyingly mysterious than usual, was definitely off and not helping her figure out what he was up to in the least. Even if he was just there to 'merely see her' that in itself was still cause for concern given her lack of resistance to the man. 

Whatever it was, she knew she wasn't going to find out by just standing there and working herself into knots over it. Taking a deep breath, Chloe straightened and left the safety of the kitchen and the distance it provided from the only other weakness in her life these days besides the small body asleep down the hall. Her husband. 

***

Ever the gentleman, Chloe took it as a sign of her husband's weariness that he didn't wait for her to sit down first before sinking heavily into the white cushions of the couch with a deep groan of appreciation. She frowned worriedly as she watched him lay back, his head resting against the plush cushions, eyes closed, and scotch tumbler precariously held within loosely threaded fingers where it sat atop his thigh. It was in rare moments like these, knowing his current relaxed and unguarded state was only ever a side to him that she would bear witness to simply because he allowed it, that she found it impossible not to love him, to want him. Her long-lasting urge to comfort him was near overwhelming and she was fighting the need to reach for him and iron out the tense lines marring his forehead with a gentle sweep of her thumbs, her fingers itching to disappear into the thick strands of hair that fell like a mane around his shoulders, just like she used to do when nearly every night, he'd come home literally coiled with tension that sometimes took her more than a few hours to work out of him. 

Sometimes, he was so exhausted that he'd fall asleep under her ministrations not long after they began, and pleased with herself and her ability to render one of the world’s most formidable men unconscious with a simple back rub, Chloe would stretch out along the length of his body and follow him into slumber soon after. Other times, when not even words of their daughter's activities that day would relax him and take his mind off business, she'd use her hands in more creative ways. Coupled with her mouth, she would soon find herself driven into the mattress so hard and fast she barely had time to brace herself. 

Feeling heat flood her at the memory, Chloe closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, willing the images away, wishing the phantom smell of his skin could be willed away just as easily. 

Folding her arms below her breasts loosely, she stood close enough so that her knee brushed against a long outstretched leg, rousing him gently. 

Lionel opened his eyes at the contact, lifting his head from where it was resting against the back of the couch to meet her gaze, his own languid. It was strange, he thought, how relaxed he felt in the same dinky little apartment that he'd spent the better part of a month trying to convince Chloe to move out of. He'd quite literally hated it on sight. Loathed the lack of space, the kitchen a mere extension of the living room so that the cooking smells invaded every part of the house, the bedrooms and bathroom mere boxes compared to the suites of his lavish penthouse he kept within the same city. For a man who'd grown up in homes big enough to avoid another being for days on end it was stifling, almost claustrophobic and it had taken him more than a few disgruntled visits to become accustomed to it.

In the end, he had no choice but to do just that because his stubborn wife had no intention of moving. Even if Chloe had hated it herself, Lionel was sure she would have stayed on just to annoy him. In a way, he knew he'd shot himself in the foot by showing his instant displeasure the minute he'd walked into the buildings foyer. That one blunder had given the blonde spitfire that stood before him now all the reason she'd ever need. She had been leaving him after all, upset and fuelled by anger, no doubt blaming him for everything, it was to be expected that she would try to defy him at every turn. Lionel could look back on it now with nothing but appreciative amusement.

He held out a hand to her now, leaning forward briefly to place his glass on the coffee table. “Come, sit with me.” Chloe lowered her eyes, hesitating, and Lionel regarded her impatiently for the first time that night, his voice gruff with annoyance. “Oh come now, Chloe. I won’t bite.” 

Chloe sighed, reached down for the remote on the coffee table first and turned the television off, then took his proffered hand and flopped down next to him, sitting sideways on the couch with her legs drawn up underneath her so that she could face him. Her knees pressed into the side of his thigh, the warmth of his body familiar, comforting. She knew she was being stupid, her caution erring on ridiculous. He was obviously there for a reason that he was struggling with because it wasn't at all like him not to get straight to the point and he'd been avoiding doing just that ever since he'd arrived. The least she could do was hear him out. 

Lionel looked down at their clasped hands where he’d brought them to rest on top of his thigh, the sight of her small pale hand enveloped within his much larger tanned one making his possessive instincts roar to life, and he knew he wasn’t walking out of there without them again. He had always prided himself on his independence, his ability to forge through life unaided. No emotional attachment had ever dictated his actions unless it worked to his advantage, but this forced separation had opened his eyes to just how much that had changed the minute Chloe, and then their precious daughter, Lisa, had come into his life. 

He missed them with a yearning that consumed him. He missed the sound of their laughter at the breakfast table as they made a game of trying to distract him from the paper he was reading. He missed listening to Lisa tell him about her day at school at a hundred miles an hour, barely taking a breath, he missed coming home to his wife’s smiling face, listening to her talk excitedly about her next story, and waking up to her every morning. He’d failed to some extent with his first wife, Lily and certainly where his first born son, Lex, was concerned. The latter was a daily battle towards mending their fractured relationship, and probably would remain so until the day he died, but his latest gesture had gone a long way to bridging that gap. He was hopeful it was also exactly the reassurance of his commitment to her and to their family that Chloe needed to have to come back to him. If not, he feared that if it were the only choice she gave him he would force her to return to him. No matter the consequences, no matter the wedge it might drive between them.

Chloe studied Lionel quietly as he seemed to get lost in his own thoughts, his eyes fixed on their clasped hands as his thumb smoothed hypnotically back and forth over her skin. Again, she worried that he was overworking himself without her or Lisa there giving him a reason to slow down. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention, her eyes full of concern. "You need to take a break, Lionel. You'll work yourself into an early grave if you're not careful."

Lionel shook his head back to the present, her words breaking him from his thoughts, and scrubbed a hand over his bearded jaw, the rasping sound of it hitting a sensory memory for Chloe and sending an unexpected sexual shiver down her spine. "Nonsense," he said dismissively. "I'm fine. I just flew in from an all day meeting in Paris. How's Lisa?"

Chloe didn’t miss the deliberate subject change but she didn’t push him on it either. She knew Lionel hated to appear weak, in any aspect of his life. “She misses her daddy,” Chloe said honestly. “You haven’t bothered to see her for three weeks, Lionel. You promised me that-”

“I know, I know.” Lionel blew out a defensive breath. “I’ve been-”

“Busy?” Chloe finished for him, old hurts rising to the surface. “Why are you here, Lionel?” It was more a demand this time but she didn’t care. 

Lionel sighed, his eyes contemplative and fixed on her. 

She waited. 

“I want you to stop this ridiculousness and come home,” he finally said. 

Chloe disentangled her hand from his and moved to get up, but Lionel stopped her with a firm hand around her wrist. "We discussed this," she clipped, quickly losing her patience. 

"No, you discussed this, and then left. You never gave me the chance to make amends, Chloe."

She sank back down and looked at him searchingly. "And would you have?" She asked.

"You think I wanted you to leave me?" He asked in incredulous disbelief. 

"That's not an answer, Lionel."

He sighed irritably. "You left me in the middle of one of the biggest takeovers LuthorCorp has ever undertaken, Chloe. How in the hell did you expect me to react? I was livid. I couldn't see past my own anger. That's the only reason I let you walk out of our house that day without a fight. If I had been thinking clearly, you would never have gotten past the damn front door.”

“You left me with no choice, Lionel. Did you think I wanted this? I _hated_ the thought of leaving you, of uprooting our daughter and taking her away from you, but it was getting to the point where you were never home and when you were, you were constantly snapping at us. I didn't want that for Lisa. She loves you so much and I couldn't stand seeing her cry herself to sleep at night because she thought she'd done something to upset you. I never asked you to give up your work for us, Lionel, I would never force that expectation on you. I just wanted you to put Lisa and me first for once, that's all, and you couldn't do it. Why should I believe that things will be different if we come back now?"

Lionel turned to his body towards her and took both of her hands in his, a look of eager determination on his face.

“Because I can do it now. I _want_ to do it now. Chloe, please. I know I’ve made mistakes, sweetheart. These past months without you have shown me how much I need you, both of you. Our little family means everything to me. That's why I'm stepping away from the company. I've given full control to Lex. I'll still be Chairman, but my role going forward will only be in an advisory capacity. That's why I haven't been able to see you these past few weeks. I've been busy overseeing the handover, introducing Lex as the new CEO to our business associates both here and abroad. I didn't tell you because I wanted to have it all finalised first so that there wouldn't be any doubts."

Chloe stared at him wordlessly in surprise, her mind scrabbling to catch up to her ears. "You did that. For us?" She whispered in astonishment, her eyes shimmering with tears. 

Lionel nodded, and cupped her face, his thumbs smoothing over her cheekbones as his eyes searched her face intently. "I've got the paperwork to prove it," he assured her softly. "I'll do that and more. Whatever it takes, Chloe."

"I don't know what to say," she said, letting out a breathy laugh and bringing her hands up to cup his wrists.

"Say you'll come back to me," he said simply.

She broke into a dazzling smile and threw herself into his arms.

Lionel caught her on a winded laugh as she hit his chest, his arms going around her waist and pulling her torso across his lap so that he was cradling her upper body comfortably. He held her tightly to him as she hugged his shoulders and neck and buried her face against his throat. "I'll take that as a yes then?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes." She punctuated each 'yes' with a kiss. "I love you," she said feelingly, then grinned against his mouth, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Lisa will be so happy." 

He cupped the back of her neck with his free hand, the other still supporting her torso across his lap, and mated their foreheads. "I love you too, and we'll tell her together, tomorrow," he promised. 

Lips still curved in a gentle smile, Chloe nodded softly and cupped his cheek, then pushed her hand into his hair and brought his mouth down to hers. She was still half floating in a state of amazed disbelief. This was more than she ever could have hoped for, but she was enough of a realist to know that this didn't mean the road ahead of them was going to be an easy one. The paperwork might be signed, but getting Lionel to sign off mentally and bodily was going to take time. He had taken that all important first step though, for them, and that meant everything to her. Right now, she just wanted to embrace the gesture and the man behind it and what it meant for their future, together.

Feeling lighter than she had in months, Chloe nuzzled his mouth with her own, pressing lazy open mouthed kisses against his lips, just enjoying the freedom of once again loving him without consequence. He seemed content to let her set the pace initially, but it wasn't long before they were both breathing heavily, restless and aching for more. Patience gone, he took her mouth then, angling her head and slanting his lips over hers, deepening the kiss, making her whimper with need. She moved to straddle his lap, and she gave him her mouth, and then her body, without hesitation.

"Lionel?" Chloe murmured against his mouth when they were both sated, his body still deeply seated within her. His lips glided down her neck as he left a daisy chain of slow, shivery kisses all the way to her collarbone. "There's just one thing..."

"Hmm?"

"I'll need to see that paperwork."

Lionel pulled back sharply, disbelief momentarily shadowing his eyes before he saw the mischievous twinkle in Chloe's eyes, her lip caught between her teeth to stifle a grin. "Brat," Lionel growled and tumbled her off his lap and onto the lounge, blanketing her with his body. Her laughter rang out, making his heart beat anew with a second chance.


End file.
